(Raleigh, NC - AP, April 27, 2007) - Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani continued his offensive against Democrats on Friday, saying his party is best qualified to deal with wars against poverty at home and terrorism abroad.

Drawing from the first Democratic presidential debate the day before, Giuliani blasted his rivals for ignoring private sector solutions to health care and education.

"I'll be darned if I'm going to concede that Democrats care more about poor people than we do," Giuliani said during his brief base-building trip to the home state of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.

Giuliani said Democratic calls for mandatory universal health care would only exacerbate the cost of care by putting the system in the hands of bureaucrats.

Democratic candidates renewed their calls for universal health care during a debate in South Carolina on Thursday, saying that a new system would help streamline costs and cover the nation's 45 million uninsured.

"They're moving toward socialized medicine so fast, it'll make your head spin," Giuliani said of the debate, adding that private competition and limits on malpractice lawsuits could help bring down the cost of care. "When we want to cover poor people, as we should, we give them vouchers."

He also echoed that call in discussing education, saying that Democrats are unwilling to reform the nation's education system with charter schools. The former New York City mayor said he struggled to reform the schools in that city.

"We weren't really able to fundamentally reform them," Giuliani said, saying he was young and naive to think he could. "They have to be (reformed) if they are going to be a ladder out of poverty."

The combative criticisms added a new chapter to Giuliani's offensive against Democrats. He drew the ire of several Democratic leaders earlier this week when he said the country needs a Republican leader to maintain safety from terrorism.

He stood by those remarks Friday, telling a conference of North Carolina conservatives that Democratic presidential candidates, most of whom want to begin timed troop withdrawals from Iraq, are "retreating in the face of this terrorist threat."

"When, in the history of war, has a nation that decides to retreat, printed up a schedule of that retreat and handed it to its enemies?" Giuliani said.

Giuliani, who served as New York City mayor during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, praised President Bush for his response to the event. Giuliani said the United States needs to continue to fight terrorism abroad and at home with "aggressive" use of military strength, the Patriot Act and electronic surveillance and interrogation.

"(Terrorists) do not respect weakness, they take advantage of weakness," Giuliani said. "They certainly respect strength."

He’s an effective speaker, I’ll grant him that. He’s still my second-to-last choice in the primary (only McQueeg scores lower) but at least it’s good to see SOMEBODY from our side—even if he’s only marginally on our side—calling out the Rats.

}:-)4

6
posted on 04/27/2007 12:58:08 PM PDT
by Moose4
("(Rudy's) the exact same animal as Hillary only he wears a dress." --Jim Robinson)

These are the things that need to be said. There is no need to cower in fear of the dems. Their ideas, when they have them, are terrible. They want universal health care. Have them tell us how they are going to prevent the twin train wrecks of Social Security and Medicare first. Talk about how much we’ve spent on the War on Poverty and why throwing money at it doesn’t work. And so on...

However, that said, I statede here several weeks ago that if a Republican came out and starting attacking liberals and the traitors amoung us he would energize the Republican base and win the nommination.

So far only Rudy is really taking the fight to them and calling it what it is.

I have heard theat Hunter is saying the same things but he isn’t really saying it with no holds barred.

I for one am tired of Republicans with no balls and zero leadership skills and who are more concerned with what the liberal press thinks of them then the conservatives they claim to serve and repsect.

I like the lets give em hell tack.

So, I liek what Rudy is saying and maybe more will pick up the chant.

15
posted on 04/27/2007 1:05:09 PM PDT
by stockpirate
(Al Qaeda is in the United States, they are in the House and Senate!)

Just understand that I hope he loses the nomination to either Duncan Hunter or Fred Thompson. :) I agree with virtually none of his social positions (way too liberal for me), but am willing to concede that he’s really good and charismatic on the stump. Communicators are one of the things that the GOP (and conservatives) are lacking right now. I think Rudy will get a run for his money on the oratorical front if Fred Thompson finally jumps in, though. I really wouldn’t mind seeing the two of them debate.

}:-)4

22
posted on 04/27/2007 1:10:03 PM PDT
by Moose4
("(Rudy's) the exact same animal as Hillary only he wears a dress." --Jim Robinson)

But I must admit, he is taking the fight to the real enemys of America.

I support Rudy and agree, but it must also be noted that John McCain and Duncan Hunter have come out strongly in support of our troops and strongly opposed to the Harry Reid (D-Vichy) surrender monkey approach.

If and when Fred Thompson formally enters the race he needs to do the same, and I expect he will.

All Republican candidates need to hit the 'rats hard on this. I fully expect to be marking my ballot "R" in November 2008. Frankly, I care FAR LESS about WHICH Republican gets nominated than I do about making sure we elect Victory (R) instead of defeat (D) in November 2008.

Thanks for your fair comment. I have no doubt we will be on the same team come Election Day.

Rudy’s competitive advantage as a mayor and as a candidate is that he is willing to vigorously and relentlessly defend his position in the face of furious left wing smears, lies, villifcation and stupidity. He just wont stand for it, and he will call it what it is, and he will have the last word.

After Bush’s New Tone fiasco, this is like an oasis in the desert for republicans fed up with the lies and smears of the left.

Even the social conservatives who are dead set against him admire this quality in him.

Here lately he has been playing to his advantage - it’s smart campaigning.

Difference is Rudy can get down and dirty to the point that McClain and Hunter can’t. Rudy is a former prosecutor. You don’t become a federal prosecutor unless you are competitive and vindictive. He has the same mentality that a athlete does. He hates to lose.

He has a the mean streak the others don’t. Rudy enjoys a fight and he enjoys making the other person look enept.

And if Fred enters the race, he can do the same. After all, he was the Republican Counsel in the Watergate hearings and therefore he’s already been a direct competitor to Hillary.

Whoever will be the Republican nominee MUST be a fighter. A tough, take-no-prisoners, return-with-your-shield-or-on-it fighter. Dick Cheney has it (too bad he can’t run). Rudy has it. Fred can do it. Newt is a fighter. Duncan called out Reid. Everyone needs to step up and fight — we can’t let the likes of Hillary and Reid and Pelosi beat us because we won’t fight.

IRVING, Texas Actor Fred Thompson said today that the top U-S general in Iraq convinced him that it's wrong to set a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq. Thompson says the U-S should leave -- quote -- "our terms and not al-Qaida's."

Thompson is a former senator considering a presidential run. Polls show Thompson is well-liked in a Republican field for 2008, but he deflected questions today about a White House run.

Thompson and former Senator Bill Bradley spoke to about 100 guests today at a professional golf tournament sponsored by Electronic Data Systems.

Bradley, a former presidential candidate, tweaked his former Senate colleague a couple times about the White House flirtation.

Thompson says the United States has made -- quote -- "a lot of mistakes" in the execution of the war. But he criticized congressional Democrats' plan to set a timetable for withdrawal.

41
posted on 04/27/2007 1:29:58 PM PDT
by areafiftyone
(.....We mourn and hurt and will never forget, but we don't live under fear.... Rudy Giuliani)

“Whoever will be the Republican nominee MUST be a fighter. A tough, take-no-prisoners, return-with-your-shield-or-on-it fighter. Dick Cheney has it (too bad he cant run). Rudy has it. Fred can do it. Newt is a fighter. Duncan called out Reid. Everyone needs to step up and fight  we cant let the likes of Hillary and Reid and Pelosi beat us because we wont fight.’

Only if we could get some of those types in Congress too. The current GOP House leadership is about as laughable as it can get. Talk about boring and uninspiring.

43
posted on 04/27/2007 1:30:23 PM PDT
by The South Texan
(The Drive By Media is America's worst enemy and American people don't know it.)

I’m not interested in driving anyone on FR crazy. I don’t believe anyone on FR is the issue or the problem. It’s these ‘rats who want to surrender our country to terrorists for what they think is an election victory in 2008 that are the problem.

We cannot let the ‘rats establish the principle that surrender means power in Washington. If that happens we are finished. If we surrender to terrorists then we’ll surrender to anybody.

I’d vote for Josef Stalin if he would fight to defend us rather than Harry Reid if he would surrender. I’m not kidding. We are like Israel now — under constant threat of attack. If we go on the defensive some terrorist nut will eventually get a small nuke and detonate it in NY Harbor before the ship ever lands and goes through Homeland security.

I’ll vote for a fighting socialist instead of a surrender monkey capitalist. If it’s a choice between high taxes or death at the hands of terrorists I’ll pay up.

This is not to say I want to vote for a socialist. I am simply saying that any Republican candidate has to be a fighter and take the fight to the terrorists and those who kowtow to them — eight days a week. Same in the House, as South Texas just said.

Unfortunately too many in the House are frightened that standing up for America might cost them votes and their seats. I have nothing but contempt for that attitude.

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